Wimby 2022

[L45B]

Alright tennis fans, you know who you are. Who you picking to win this year?

Gotta say, until proven otherwise, Novax and Rafa are the faves sitting at the 1 & 2 slots respectively. Would love to see Rafa pull off what NoVax did last year (ie winning the first three slams of the year).

Other notables. For whatever reason, Medvedev has been shit on grass lately. I thought he could be a contender but he’s been inconsistent. Don’t think it’ll happen for him. Ruud is a 3-seed thanks to his run at Roland Garros but I don’t see him going far either. Alcaraz could certainly make waves with that forehand. Ttitsipas just won in Mallorca, who knows. No Zverev.

As for Americans, Taylor Fritz has a great draw and just won a tune-up, would love to see him go far. Opelka should be dangerous on the grass, but he’s been off the map lately. Cressy is solid at the net. Not so sure about Tiafoe, Brooksby or Tommy Paul. Likely out in the first week.

As for the women, I’ll take Aranxta Sanchez Vicario in the legends division. :x

[Screw_Michigan]

I have no idea who will win but I did play tennis today in DC. DC Parks and Rec had a "tennis festival" at a local rec center I have played at before. They had lessons from 10-12 and then open play from 1-3. I played all day and then went next door to the rec center pool where there were hot babes in bikinis hanging out enjoying another beautiful summer day in DC.

While it may suck a bit to live in America right now, it never sucks to live in the District.

[Softball Bat]

Quick thoughts...


Ruud is way overseeded at #3.
Will probably not go real far, imo.

Medevedv is *BANNED* from the tournament.
That sucks.

NoVax will meet Alcaraz in the quarters -- if they both get there.
Andy Murray would meet Alcaraz in the round of 16, and that would be pretty interesting.

Rafa is probably getting foot injections.
He's not 100%, and I am not picking him to win here.

J. Sinner (10th seed) got unlucky -- and he must face wildcard entrant S. Wawrinka in the first round.
That's a very tough match.


Djoker is the favorite, imo.
Tsitsipas and F.A. Aliassime could make noise.


More later...

[L45B]

Medevedv is *BANNED* from the tournament.
That sucks.

Good call, forgot about that. Maybe why he’s been giving less of a fuck on the grass this summer.

Nice work Screwie! Where are the pics of the dykinis in bikinis?? :)

[Softball Bat]

I have no idea who will win but I did play tennis today in DC. DC Parks and Rec had a "tennis festival" at a local rec center I have played at before. They had lessons from 10-12 and then open play from 1-3. I played all day and then went next door to the rec center pool where there were hot babes in bikinis hanging out enjoying another beautiful summer day in DC.

While it may suck a bit to live in America right now, it never sucks to live in the District.

Very nice!

[Softball Bat]

I'll call my shots for the semifinalists.


Djokovic
Hurkacz
Tsitsipas (Berrettini close)
Nadal (Cilic or Aliassime if Rafa gets too hurt)

[L45B]

Hurkacz

That’s a great pick, Bat. His game is suited for this surface, comparatively speaking.

[L45B]

[1] Djoker
[9] Norrie

[8] Berrettini [13] Shapovalov
[21] Van de Zandschulp :grin:

[Softball Bat]

[21] Van de Zandschulp :grin:

Great name.

He's got some game, too.

Good sleeper pick.

[L45B]

Hurkacz

That’s a great pick, Bat. His game is suited for this surface, comparatively speaking.

Well shit, SB. That was a total jinx. :?

[Softball Bat]

lol
Went out 7-6 in the 5th.

Sucks.


Alcaraz nearly lost, also, but in the end, a W is a W.

[Screw_Michigan]

Alcaraz nearly lost, also, but in the end, a W is a W.

I was watching this while working today. I like watching women's tennis because I like watching hot babes play tennis, but I am always amazed with the skill and power of the men's game. They make it look so, so easy.

[L45B]

[8]Berrettini

Wow, disappointing withdrawal due to Covid. Cilic also withdrew.

I’ll take [13] Shopaholic out of that quarter but hoping this is an opportunity for American [29] Jensen Brooksby to make a move. Perfect place for him to try the shit out of that whacky two handed slice backhand.

[Softball Bat]

I like watching women's tennis

S. Williams goes out in the 1st round.









Overweight, slow, and clearly out of shape.

[Softball Bat]

I’ll take [13] Shopaholic out of that quarter

He's got the firepower for it.

Kygrios and Tsitsipas (both in that quarter) will square off in round 3 (if they both get there), and that should be interesting.

[Softball Bat]

Taylor Fritz

LOL @ Gray trotting away and fist pumping, as if he had won the point.


Fritz is through to the 3rd round.
His draw is pretty favorable and it looks like he's got a realistic shot at getting to the quarters.

[L45B]

Some whacky shit, Bat.

The end of the Vesely / Davidovich-Fokina match was bananas too— ended on a point penalty when D-F frustratingly hit a ball out of the court area.

Americans looking good right now.

• Totally agree on Fritz.

• Tommy Paul has a great draw and he just manhandled Mannarino yesterday.

• Tiafoe looking solid.

• Brooksby has a good draw if he can win today.

• Isner played an amazing match against Murray yesterday.

• Brandon Nakishima just took out Shapovalov.

The only real disappointment is Opelka who went down to the Dutch kid Van Rijthoven but he ran into a buzzsaw. That kid could take out Djoker if he plays like he is. He smacked Medvedev a few weeks back on the hometown grass in Holland (grass in Holland??? :grin: ).

Womens draw is a margarita mixer.

[L45B]

He definitely has the game, Papa. Not sure how confident he is on this surface but if he hammers that forehand enough times in the next week, he could take down anybody. Even Djoker.

Sidenote: Nadal looks a bit off. Not saying he can’t go far but he may get tripped up. My earlier pick of Botik Van de Zandschulp might still happen.

[Softball Bat]

Alcaraz will face Isner in the round of 16 (if they both win their 3rd round matches) -- and that is a whale of a match-up.

I like Isner's chances on grass.

[L45B]

Isner is playing really well right now. I like him to beat Sinner. An Alcaraz matchup would be pretty sweet.

Tim Van Rijthoven just wiped the floor with Basilashvili (a solid top 30 player) and will likely play Djokovic next and could give him all sorts of problems. I could see this kid pulling a Richard Krajicek from the 90s. Will see..

[Screw_Michigan]

So what's the deal with serving? You can literally drop your serve as many times as you want?

[L45B]

So what's the deal with serving? You can literally drop your serve as many times as you want?

What do you mean by drop Screwey? Like lose your serve games?

Trust me, there’s pros out there who can’t hold their service games to save their lives. Practically the entire WTA. :grin:

Put them on a clay court and breaking serve turns into holding serve. :grin: :grin:

[Screw_Michigan]

So what's the deal with serving? You can literally drop your serve as many times as you want?

What do you mean by drop Screwey? Like lose your serve games?

Trust me, there’s pros out there who can’t hold their service games to save their lives. Practically the entire WTA. :grin:

Put them on a clay court and breaking serve turns into holding serve. :grin: :grin:

You can throw your ball in the air to serve, but not actually hit the ball. I saw a woman do this three times the other day. I think it was Gauff.

[Screw_Michigan]

Holy shit, John Isner is 6-10? Jesus. What kind of advantage does that give you in tennis, if any?

[L45B]

Huge advantage on the serve. Some disadvantages when having to bend down (at the knees, not at the hips, if done with proper form) with low volleys and moving in general, especially to cover drop shots.

I noticed the other day, Murray used the drop shot often and Isner didn’t even try to get most of them. Conserved his energy and avoided possibly straining something. It worked for him.

Regarding the ball toss, I’m actually not sure if there are grounds for point penalties on the ATP or WTA if one continuously tosses without hitting it. General tennis etiquette, you’ll notice, is that if a player starts with their normal serve motion and makes a bad toss and catches the ball instead of hitting it, they will typically apologize to their opponent before starting again. This likely would only happen a couple times in a row, max. And possibly again during the match. If a player was doing this on purpose, at worst they would catch some flack in the locker room, effects of which would likely encourage not doing it again.

This is independent of the whole underhanded serve trick that guys like Krygios and Bublik throw in when the shit hits the fan or they start dicking around. Different topic.

[Screw_Michigan]

Huge advantage on the serve. Some disadvantages when having to bend down (at the knees, not at the hips, if done with proper form) with low volleys and moving in general, especially to cover drop shots.

I noticed the other day, Murray used the drop shot often and Isner didn’t even try to get most of them. Conserved his energy and avoided possibly straining something. It worked for him.

Regarding the ball toss, I’m actually not sure if there are grounds for point penalties on the ATP or WTA if one continuously tosses without hitting it. General tennis etiquette, you’ll notice, is that if a player starts with their normal serve motion and makes a bad toss and catches the ball instead of hitting it, they will typically apologize to their opponent before starting again. This likely would only happen a couple times in a row, max. And possibly again during the match. If a player was doing this on purpose, at worst they would catch some flack in the locker room, effects of which would likely encourage not doing it again.

This is independent of the whole underhanded serve trick that guys like Krygios and Bublik throw in when the shit hits the fan or they start dicking around. Different topic.

Thanks for explaining! I watched the match today between the French 19 year old and the woman from Tunisia. Was pretty good. Enjoyed the French woman's serve.

[L45B]

Yeah, Jabeur can play. She does well on the grass. The womens game to me is just a tossup. I thought this even when Ash Barty was still playing and she retired at an early age.

There hasnt been dominance since the earlier days of Serena and Venus, during which the likes of Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Kim Clijsters, Justine Henin and *Martina Hingis could all compete for slams. I think there’s way more parity today, not as exciting.

*Martina Hingis in the early 00s, to this day, had the greatest ass. Unbelievable.

[Softball Bat]

You can throw your ball in the air to serve, but not actually hit the ball. I saw a woman do this three times the other day. I think it was Gauff.

L45B gave a good explanation.

I think the umpire can step in and give the player a warning if he believes the player is intentionally doing it for gamesmanship purposes.

But I can't say that I can ever remember seeing it happen.

[L45B]

The most charming example of this situation that comes to mind — and unfortunately there’s nothing to be found on youtube — but back when Aussie Pat Rafter was on the tour, he would occasionally throw up a bad toss and cover himself with a “Sorry Mate.” Always got a few good chuckles out of the crowd but he was a pure class dude.

[Screw_Michigan]

L45B gave a good explanation.

I think the umpire can step in and give the player a warning if he believes the player is intentionally doing it for gamesmanship purposes.

But I can't say that I can ever remember seeing it happen.

Gauff probably did it twice. I might be exaggerating the situation, I didn't expect the player to be able to "drop" the serve more than once. Sorry I keep using that expression. [/beginner]

[Softball Bat]

Occasionally a player will let the ball toss drop on the serve, and sometimes it happens on a windy day.
But as L45B noted, they will usually quickly apologize.

I do not remember ever seeing an umpire warn a player for letting the serve toss drop, but I assume one could be warned if it seems they are doing it to try to dick with their opponent's head.

It is "common courtesy" gestures by a player to apologize for letting the ball toss drop -- sort of like holding up a ball in your hand so your opponent can see it, as a signal to him that you are now using new balls.
Balls are swapped out for new balls after the first 7 games at Wimbledon, and after every 9 games then for the duration of the match.

[Softball Bat]

Isner is playing really well right now. I like him to beat Sinner.

I also thought Isner would beat Sinner, but it didn't happen.
Sinner won it in straight sets.

Sinner v. Alcaraz in the round of 16.

[L45B]

Yep, time for the rubber to hit the road for all these American guys. Brooksby went down today. Sock might lose.

Other guys (Fritz and Nakishima) just started. Hoping they can make some waves.

[Softball Bat]

Kygrios and Tsitsipas (both in that quarter) will square off in round 3 (if they both get there), and that should be interesting.

Kygrios wins it.

Two of my semifinalists are -----> OUT!

[Softball Bat]

Other guys (Fritz and Nakishima) just started. Hoping they can make some waves.

They both won, and Fritz still hasn't lost a set in this tournament.

[L45B]

Kyrgios played at a very high level versus Tsitsipas but not without a lot of drama and noise along the way. I can’t tell but it’s as if he needs to act dysfunctional between the points to be fully functional during the point. Dude was cracking serves and ground strokes and never really had that mental breakdown that usually creeps in.

Not sure McEnroe in the booth was the right guy to call him out on his antics with the umpire, but was funny and he even caught himself and made that point that he pulled some similar shit back in the day.

I could see Kyrgios divebombing in his next match just as easily as I could see him making the finals. Truly unpredictable.

[L45B]

Fritz

Kid is playing lights out right now and has gained a lot of confidence with every match. He’s not dropping winnable sets which is something he’s done in the past.

I see his next match vs Kubler as very winnable, which then could set up a very interesting situation against the winner of Rafa Nadal and Botic Van de Zandschulp. Rafa stepped up his game today vs Sonego so he’s obviously a big favorite to get to the quarters.

Nonetheless Fritz is one of the only guys to beat Rafa this year (on hard courts). I think the grass would give Fritz an even extra bump. But let’s not get too far ahead, weird shit happens in tennis.

[Softball Bat]

Kyrgios played at a very high level versus Tsitsipas but not without a lot of drama and noise along the way. I can’t tell but it’s as if he needs to act dysfunctional between the points to be fully functional during the point. Dude was cracking serves and ground strokes and never really had that mental breakdown that usually creeps in.

Not sure McEnroe in the booth was the right guy to call him out on his antics with the umpire, but was funny and he even caught himself and made that point that he pulled some similar shit back in the day.

I could see Kyrgios divebombing in his next match just as easily as I could see him making the finals. Truly unpredictable.

In frustration, Tsitsipas flicked a ball into the stands that bounced off a wall and hit someone in the back of the head/neck.

I have to say that Kygrios was right that Tsitispas should have been defaulted.
You can't have players hitting balls into the stands.

I understand why Stefanos was angry.
Kygrios is like a 13 year old out there.

Well, Nicky can't win the whole thing.
He doesn't have what it takes to string 7 wins together to go the distance.
Until he proves otherwise, that is my take.

On any given day he can surely beat any given player on the tour.
But he is also a meltdown waiting to happen.

[L45B]

Yeah can’t argue with that at all. That’s basically what McEnroe was trying to say until he realized he was describing himself behaviorally.

But Johnny Mac at least competed for and won GS titles. Kyrgios has the raw talent to beat anyone but it’s as if he doesn’t give a shit.

[Softball Bat]

Mac had heart, and lots of it.
He would dig deep and grind until the end.

Kygrios has much talent, but if the going gets too tough, he'll flake out and take a loss like it isn't that big of a deal.

Losses killed McEnroe.
He hated them.